The American Fairchild Aerial Survey Company was not satisfied
with the aircraft that was available to do the kind of work
required, so they decided to build their own in the mid-1920s.
To do so, the company established the Fairchild Airplane
Manufacturing Company in 1925 on Long
Island, New York.

The first aircraft prototype produced by the company was a
FC-1, which was flown for the first time in June 1926.
Incorporating changes, they went into production with the FC-2,
which was available for purchase in 1927.

The FC-2 was a closed-cabin monoplane with the wing attached
to the top of the fuselage. It was considered ideal by many
Canadian aviation companies and the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).
With interest in the aircraft by the Canadians, the Fairchild
Company gave them the opportunity to make recommendations on its
design.

The RCAF ordered the Fairchild aircraft with changes that
included a larger fuselage, wing and engine. The result was the
FC-2W, which was delivered in 1928. More improvements were added
and the next aircraft was called a FC-2W-2-2. The Canadians
asked for yet another set of changes to the Fairchild, which
resulted in the Fairchild 71-C.

The Fairchild 71-C appeared in 1929 with a Pratt & Whitney
Wasp engine that had 410-horse power. It had a large lift
capacity and a long range.